Naruto: Konoha Spring of the Uchiha Prodigies

"I have a mission for your Team 7," Uchiha Touko said calmly, handing the mission information to Sasuke.

Sasuke took it and examined it carefully. Then, he looked up at Uchiha Touko with some confusion: "Escorting a female celebrity to the Land of Snow to film a movie? Is this kind of mission worth you asking me to come all the way here, Master?"

“Of course it’s worth it, because this mission is also a test for you,” Uchiha Touko said with a light laugh.

"An exam?" Sasuke asked, puzzled.

“Yes, an exam.” Uchiha Touko nodded. “Of course, it’s not about ninja skills, but about the chess skills you’ve learned from me over the years.”

After saying that, Uchiha Touko took out a document containing information about the coup in the Land of Snow several years ago and handed it to Sasuke.

"Fujifuyuki, real name Fuuka Koyuki, is the only daughter of the previous Daimyo of the Land of Snow who died in a bloody palace coup. In other words, this most popular star in the ninja world is actually an exiled princess," Uchiha Touko said with a light laugh.

Sasuke's expression turned serious after hearing Uchiha Touko's words: "Then, teacher, what is the passing standard for this exam?"

Uchiha Touko smiled and took out a draft contract from the sealed scroll at his waist, placing it in front of Sasuke. This was a draft contract for the Land of Snow to join the Konoha Pact.

Sasuke picked up the contract and examined it carefully, while Uchiha Touko calmly said, "This is the most basic requirement to pass. You just need to get the Daimyo of the Land of Snow to sign this contract. However, if you want to get a higher score from me, it depends on how much benefit you can get on top of this."

"I won't impose any restrictions on your test. You can use any resources or connections you have. If you want, you can even go to the Land of Water to ask your father for help. However, I won't provide you with any assistance. You will have to bear all the costs in this process yourself," Uchiha Touko said. "However, if you successfully pass my test, then all the benefits beyond the passing grade will be yours. The village and I will only receive the most basic portion."

After finishing speaking, Uchiha Touko smiled and looked at Sasuke, "So, are you confident you can pass this test?"

After hearing the conditions set forth by Uchiha Touko, Sasuke's face immediately lit up with a bright smile. "Sensei, I want to give it a try. You won't restrict me from accessing any resources I can, right?"

“That’s right,” Uchiha Touko said.

"Neji's current Anbu organization hasn't been abolished yet, has it?" Sasuke asked.

"Not yet," Uchiha Touko said.

"Then, teacher, don't assign any missions to Class 8 and Class 10 for the next few days. I'll have Neji, in the name of the Anbu, recruit those two classes to assist Class 7 in carrying out this mission."

"These two classes? Okay." Uchiha Touko nodded with a smile. "It seems you're after Kakashi and Shisui's power. But let me warn you, as the captain of the security force, Kakashi can't leave Konoha for too long. So if you plan to recruit them for assistance, you can only bring your Shisui brother on this mission at most. However, if you want to hire your Shisui brother as a henchman, you'll have to pay his fee yourself after the mission. Can you afford that price?"

"Do I really need to pay this fee?" Sasuke said with a smile. "This manager named Asama Santayu has made a lot of money in the ninja world over the years thanks to this princess. If a Kage-level expert were willing to help them restore their country, they would probably be willing to pay money."

“It’s easy for them to pay for getting Shisui to take action.” Sasuke rubbed his temples. “However, given your stance over the years that Konoha will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, if we were to storm into the Snow Country’s palace, kill the current daimyo, and install this little princess as the new ruler, it would probably affect your plans for the ninja world over the years.”

Uchiha Touko smiled at Sasuke and nodded, signaling him to continue.

"Therefore, we cannot directly use this as our mission objective. We can only inadvertently get caught up in the royal conflict of the Land of Snow during our current mission, and in self-defense, accidentally kill the current daimyo of the Land of Snow who attacked our protected target," Sasuke analyzed.

"So, there are only two difficulties in this mission. First, how to gain the complete trust of this exiled princess, help her muster her courage, and then guide her to actively use us to complete her plan to restore her kingdom," Sasuke said. "Second, how to get the daimyo of the Land of Snow to take action against us. Ideally, we ninjas who accepted the escort mission would be unaware of Kazahana Koyuki's identity, and we would be used by the princess of the Land of Snow who intends to restore her kingdom, and unexpectedly get involved in the royal struggle of the Land of Snow."

"Then... ninjas clashed, and the daimyo died suddenly." After a moment of silence, Sasuke slowly uttered these eight words.

"Excellent!" Uchiha Touko clapped lightly, looking at Sasuke in front of him and nodding in satisfaction. "You've already become quite adept at analyzing the game situation."

“However, the game won’t always go as you expect,” Uchiha Touko said with a smile. “A qualified Go player should be able to steer the game in the direction you anticipate amidst the ever-changing situation. Don’t disappoint me, Sasuke.”

"Teacher, just you wait and see." Sasuke nodded, stood up confidently, said goodbye to Uchiha Touko, and left Uchiha Touko's office.

Soon, Sasuke summoned Neji and Naruto, took the mission information he had obtained from Uchiha Touko, and found the crew of "The Great Adventure of the Wind Princess" who were currently staying at a luxury hotel in Konoha. He then explained his purpose to the person who had commissioned the mission, Asama Santayu.

"You're the ninjas who took on this mission?" Asama Santayu looked at the three people in front of him with some suspicion. "Where's your Jonin leader?"

“Mr. Asama, our Team 7 is in a rather special situation. Our nominal leader is our Fifth Hokage,” Neji said calmly. “The three of us are all Hokage’s personal disciples. Don’t let our recent graduation fool you; we’ve already reached the level of Jonin. Furthermore, Team 7 has a record of defeating and capturing elite Jonin from the Water Country’s rebel army on our own. You can easily find out about this by doing a little research in the village. Therefore, our strength is absolutely sufficient to complete this escort mission.”

"Yeah, don't underestimate us, uncle!" Naruto shouted from the side.

"Is that so?" Asama Santayu glanced at the three boys in front of him, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

Chapter 191

Asama Santayu looked at the three boys in front of him, his mind churning with thoughts.

These three kids wouldn't lie about something that would be easily exposed with a little inquiry, so they must genuinely possess Jonin-level strength.

[Furthermore, these three are the Hokage's personal disciples. If handled properly... we can take advantage of their sense of justice at such a young age. Once they learn about Yuki's background, and we play the victim a bit, we should be able to persuade them to help Yuki reclaim her Daimyo position.]

Suddenly, Asama Santayu felt that their seemingly hopeless plan to restore their Snow Country had become feasible.

Sasuke and Neji noticed the change in each other's eyes, but they kept a low profile and showed the pride that young geniuses should have. This made Asama Santayu even more determined in his mind. As for Naruto, this kid doesn't need to pretend.

"Good, good, good! I never expected we'd be so lucky this time, to be able to hire such talented ninjas as you." Asama Santayu said to the three of them, barely suppressing his excitement.

"Sir, where is our other employer? Won't we be allowed to meet him before we leave?" Sasuke asked.

"That's a long story," Asama Santayu said, feigning regret. "Why don't you three young friends come with me to the film set?"

"Film crew? Is it a movie shooting location?" Naruto immediately perked up when he heard something interesting.

"Please come with me, everyone," Asama Santayu said with a smile, inviting the three of them to follow him to the film set.

Upon arriving at the film set, Naruto's excitement was palpable. He looked around the set, while Sasuke and Neji pretended to be very interested in the filming process.

However, not long after, some bad news came from the film crew.

The filming was about to begin, but the lead actress, Fujikaze Yukie, was nowhere to be seen. Her manager, Asama Santayu, went to her resting place to look for her, but couldn't find her either.

The entire crew was in a panic. Because of the female lead's disappearance, filming could not proceed. The only thing they could do was to mobilize the entire crew to find her first.

When Naruto heard about this, he immediately offered to help. Sasuke and Neji, wanting to leave a good impression on Asama Santayu, did not stop him and joined the search party for Fujikaze Yuki-e.

The entire crew searched all day but couldn't find any trace of the other party. It wasn't until evening that Feng Hua Xiaoxue leisurely returned to the hotel.

Upon receiving the news, Asama Santayu hurriedly led Naruto and the others back to the hotel. The first thing he did upon seeing Kazahana Koyuki was to scold her:

"Xiaoxue, where have you been? Do you know that the entire crew has been looking for you all day?"

"I wasn't in a good mood, so I went for a drink," Feng Hua Xiaoxue said coldly.

“Drinking? Do you know how much chaos you’ll cause in Konoha if you’re recognized? Our crew went through a lot of trouble to get the right to film in Konoha!” Asama Santayu said patiently.

"Then let's not film it." Feng Hua Xiaoxue's face showed an extremely impatient expression. "This movie was originally approved by you without my consent."

"Xiaoxue, I know you've been very tired lately, but this is a film series after all. The previous 'Princess of the Wind and Cloud' movies were very well received in the ninja world, and the investors strongly requested that we make a sequel. We couldn't refuse, but I can promise you that after we finish filming this movie, we'll take a break for a while, how about that?" Asama Santayu sighed, then patiently coaxed his little aunt.

"Does this sequel really have to be filmed in the Land of Snow?" Kazahana Koyuki frowned deeply.

"Sasuke, is this really Princess Fengyun?" Naruto, who had witnessed the two arguing, suddenly whispered to Sasuke beside him, "Her awful personality is nothing like the one in the movie."

"That's just a character in a movie. Who knows what he's like off-screen?"

Although the two spoke in very low voices, in the extremely quiet environment around them, Feng Hua Xiaoxue was able to hear the gist of it.

Hearing crickets chirping at her, a hint of displeasure flashed across Fuuka Koyuki's face. She questioned Asama Santayu, "Who are these three brats?"

“They are ninjas I hired in Konoha,” Asama Santayu explained. “They will be responsible for our safety on our journey to the Land of Snow.”

"Just these three brats?" Feng Hua Xiao Xue sneered.

"Hey! Ma'am, are you looking down on us?" Naruto was immediately displeased when he heard that he was being looked down upon.

“Xiaoxue, these three are all Hokage’s personal disciples. They are geniuses who can defeat elite Jonin at such a young age. We must not underestimate them,” Asama Santayu said at this moment.

"Defeated elite Jonin? Them?" Kazahana Koyuki was stunned upon hearing this, an expression of disbelief appearing on her face.

"Hehe, of course, every ninja's mission record can be viewed in the mission hall. The first mission we completed after graduation was an A-rank mission, which means that we had to fight against at least a Jonin-level ninja. So, I think protecting you guys on your way to the Land of Snow to film a movie should be more than enough. After all, according to our Konoha intelligence, the strongest ninja in the Land of Snow is only equivalent to an ordinary Jonin in our Konoha." Neji said unhurriedly at this moment.

"Is that so?" Fuuka Koyuki frowned. "Then I really underestimated you. But I'm sorry, I don't plan to go to the Snow Country with you."

"Is that so?" Neji nodded. "Then, according to Konoha's rules, if the employer cancels the mission midway, the deposit is non-refundable."

"Naruto, Sasuke, let's go." Neji turned and left, gesturing for Naruto and Sasuke to follow.

"Please wait, you three!" Asama Santayu was alarmed upon seeing this. He was counting on Sasuke and the other two, along with the forces behind them, to help him and Kazahana Koyuki achieve their great cause of restoring their kingdom. If he missed this opportunity because of Kazahana Koyuki's momentary willfulness, he would have nowhere to cry.

"Hey, you three, wait a minute!" Asama Santayu called out to the three men after chasing after them, panting.

"Is there anything else, Mr. Asama?" Neji frowned slightly. "Since the employer has refused the mission, our employment relationship should also end here."

“Please wait a moment, gentlemen. We do not intend to cancel this mission,” said Asama Santayu.

“But it seems that Ms. Fujikaze Yukie doesn’t intend to undertake this mission. Can you, as her manager, make the decision on her behalf?” Neji said.

“Xiaoxue is just a little willful. I’ll go and talk to her in a bit. This movie is very important for her acting career, so please wait a couple of days, okay?” Asama Santayu said.

“Mr. Asama, you seem to have misunderstood something.” Sasuke spoke up calmly at this moment. “We are not obligated to take this mission. The reason we took this mission is very simple: it might be interesting to experience the filming process of a movie up close. But now, you are questioning our abilities.”

"I'm very sorry, gentlemen." Asama Santayu became nervous upon hearing this and quickly apologized, "Xiaoxue is spoiled by me, so she inevitably has some problems with her personality. I will teach her a lesson when I get back. We are sincerely hiring you for this mission."

"Alright then." Sasuke nodded. "When shall we set off?"

"Give me a little more time, gentlemen. We'll set off in three days at the latest," said Asama Santayu.

“Alright, then we’ll wait for you for three more days.” Neji nodded.

……

After the three left the hotel, Naruto, who had been holding back his words, couldn't help but ask, "Why did we suggest ending the mission? Wasn't this mission assigned to us by our teacher? Aren't we afraid of getting scolded if we just turned it down?"

After spending a lot of time with Sasuke and Neji, Naruto developed a habit: when Sasuke and Neji had a plan, he would just listen to their instructions and ask them questions later if he had any.

"Who said we're ending the mission?" Sasuke laughed upon hearing this.

"Huh?" Naruto was a little confused. The way the two of them turned around and left just now didn't seem like they were faking it.

"We did that just now simply to increase our initiative during the mission," Neji patiently explained to Naruto.

"But weren't you afraid that the old man would actually cancel the mission?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

“Heh, he won’t,” Sasuke laughed. “This is an A-rank mission. An A-rank mission means that at least a Jonin-level ninja will be involved in the mission. What makes a movie crew worthy of a Jonin’s help? So there must be some hidden story behind this.”

"Hidden story? What hidden story?" Naruto became more and more confused as he listened.

However, at that moment, the Nine-Tailed Fox inside the sealed space suddenly spoke up: "Kid, that guy just now had some ill intentions towards you. He was plotting against the three of you."

"Huh?" Naruto was stunned when he heard Kurama's words, and then shared what Kurama had said with his two companions.

"Are you plotting against us?" Sasuke sneered. "Aren't we plotting against him too?"

"Pah, you treacherous Uchiha..." Inside Naruto's sealed space, Kurama shifted its body, changed its sleeping position, and grinned as it spoke.

……

Three days later, no one knows how Asama Santayu persuaded Fuka Koyuki, but Fuka Koyuki finally agreed to the filming plan in the Snow Country.

The entire film crew set off from Konoha and headed towards the Land of Snow in a grand procession, while Naruto and his two companions were specially arranged by Asama Santayu to ride in a luxurious carriage, following behind Kazahana Koyuki's private carriage.

In the following days, Asama Santayu visited the three of them every day to inquire about their well-being, while Fuuka Koyuki almost never left her carriage when traveling.

Sasuke and his two companions were quite happy to have some peace and quiet.

After entering the Land of Snow, the temperature gradually dropped, and a charcoal brazier was lit inside the carriage. Although Naruto and his two companions didn't need this to ward off the cold, Naruto, thinking he had nothing better to do, started cooking a hot pot in the carriage.